Chasing The Moon (Moonlight Mystique) - Chapter 5
Volume 1 (Human World): Chapter 5
Without waiting for another word from Bai Xi, Bai Shuo suddenly pushed her out a few steps and turned to run towards the black-robed figure.
“You should eat me! Eating me could prolong your life; release my sister!”
“Oh?”
The black-robed figure glanced at the girl at his feet.
“What difference does it make if I’ve eaten you both? What right do you have to negotiate with me?”
“Just because my father is Bai Xun!”
“Hmph, just a mere mortal…” The black-robed figure scoffed.
“They abducted us from the south of the city. There must be people there who have seen me and Bai Shuo,” Bai Shuo calmly pointed to the Qian brothers.
“Our guards were shaken off at the intersection of the north and south of the city. In at least half an hour, my father will realize that we were abducted in the south of the city. It will take him only two hours to search the south of the city. When he realizes that we’re not in the city, he will definitely search outside the city.”
“And what of it?”
Afraid that the black-robed figure would blame them for their incompetence, Qian Da loudly interrupted Bai Shuo.
“My brother and I often come in and out of the south gate. Who would suspect us of hiding you in my cart?”
“It’s true under normal circumstances, but today Bai Shuo and I were lost.”
Bai Shuo’s voice was very calm; she looked at the Qian brothers with a hint of mockery in her eyes.
“Carts filled with swill and carts carrying two people will leave different tracks. Even if no one noticed at the time, it might not be the case now. You came out of the south gate, went around the outer city wall to the north,and all the way were rugged mountain roads. Tonight is rainless, and the tracks won’t disappear.”
Bai Shuo stopped and looked up at the full moon in the sky, then turned her eyes back to the black-robed figure.
“It’s already half a day now. At the latest, before midnight, my father will definitely bring the army of the imperial court here. You are hiding here, injured, and definitely not wanting to be discovered. Even if you can eat the two of us sisters and kill all the soldiers my father brings, you will definitely be exposed to the world and can no longer hide under the imperial tomb!”
Bai Shuo clenched her fist hidden under her sleeve, her voice low.
“As long as you are willing to let Bai Shuo go, before my father comes to the imperial tomb, let these two people take my sister back to the capital; she will definitely not tell anyone of your existence.”
There was a moment of silence on the ground.
Bai Xi stared blankly at Bai Shuo, standing in front of the black-robed figure, as if she had just met her for the first time.
It is said that of the two daughters of the Bai family, one is virtuous and wise, and the other is stubborn and willful. Everyone said that the Emperor’s daughter-in-law was a good choice, selecting the cleverest one from the Bai family. It turns out…. Bai Xi felt a sourness in her heart, not knowing whether to be sad or distressed.
If it weren’t for this life-and-death situation, would Ah Shuo rather be a naive troublemaker in front of her for the rest of her life, just to fulfill the unique good reputation of her elder sister, the Crown Princess, in the eyes of the world?
The Qian brothers were stunned by Bai Shuo’s words, unable to say a word. They never expected that the two girls they casually abducted from the street would be so intelligent and bold, each one outdoing the other.
Ordinary children would have been terrified at the sight of the black-robed deity, but she dared to negotiate with him.
Clap! Clap! Clap! The black-robed figure applauded.
“Well said, truly worthy of the daughter of the general. Little girl, you have more courage than the sky itself!”
He said this with interest as he looked down at the girl at his feet, then suddenly bent down to carefully examine Bai Shuo.
Bai Shuo was unnerved by the intense gaze of those blood-red eyes, feeling goosebumps all over her body.
After scrutinizing Bai Shuo, the black-robed figure seemed somewhat disappointed.
“It’s strange indeed that the Emperor didn’t choose you to be the Crown Princess. But fate is fate; no matter how smart you are, you’re not Bai Xi.”
“I am…”
Bai Shuo’s heart sank, hastily trying to argue.
“Little girl,” the black-robed figure sneered, “those destined by fate have their destinies set. With spiritual energy enveloping them, not to mention fate, you don’t even have a trace of spiritual energy. Do you think you can deceive me?”
When the black-robed figure stood up again, he was reluctant to look at Bai Shuo again, his bloodthirsty gaze scanning towards Bai Xi.
“I am fond of spiritual beings; I have no interest in clever people. I don’t want to be discovered, but once I devour this girl, I can roam the four seas unhindered. There’s no need for me to hide in the imperial tomb unseen!”
After saying this, he raised his hand towards Bai Xi, but Bai Shuo, with a burst of courage, jumped up and hugged the black-robed figure’s legs, shouting towards Bai Xi, “Ah Xi, run!”
Bai Xi stood still, her eyes red.
“Run, Ah Xi, go find our father, hurry!”
Bai Shuo roared, putting all her strength into it.
The black-robed figure snorted coldly, “Run? None of you will escape!”
With a kick, he effortlessly shook Bai Shuo off his body. Bai Shuo, at such a young age, couldn’t withstand his demonic energy. Her ribs shattered, and she spat out blood before collapsing to the ground.
Seeing this, the Qian brothers quickly pressed Bai Shuo to the ground, afraid she would disturb the deity’s meal.
“Ah Shuo!”
Bai Xi, unwilling to escape again, ran towards Bai Shuo.
“Although you have no spiritual power whatsoever, your flesh is tender. This deity reluctantly eats you together to prevent you sisters from being separated! Hahaha!”
The black-robed figure laughed wildly, raising his hand, and a black light emerged, lifting Bai Xi into the air.
The black light bound Bai Xi tightly and slowly brought her towards the black-robed figure.
The black-robed figure’s eyes emitted a bloodthirsty and greedy light, unable to resist sniffing towards Bai Xi and revealing his terrifyingly sharp teeth.
“Ah Xi!” Bai Shuo’s voice was hoarse, but she was firmly pinned down by the Qian brothers.
“Monster! You want spiritual beings! I won’t let you succeed even if I die!”
Bai Xi saw Bai Shuo’s face covered in blood. The moment she was handed over to the black-robed figure by the black light, Bai Xi suddenly pulled out a green hairpin from her hair without hesitation and stabbed it towards her neck.
“Ah Xi!” A beast-like roar erupted from Bai Shuo’s mouth, tearing through the air!
A stream of blood gushed from Bai Xi’s tender neck, splashing into Bai Shuo’s eyes.
Her eyes turned deep red, and suddenly the whole world was stained with blood.
Both the black-robed figure and the Qian brothers were stunned by this sudden scene.
Not far away, Bai Xun, who had been following the traces of the cart tracks, heard the screams of the girl. His face turned pale, leading his soldiers towards the direction of the imperial tomb’s back hill.
In mid-air, Bai Xi’s warm body slowly descended, the green hairpin falling from her hand and shattering into two halves on the ground.
Tears poured from Bai Shuo’s blood-stained eyes. She also had a jade hairpin, a gift from her mother on their seventh birthday. She loved to tie her hair with it, but she never wanted to take the hairpin with her. Now, she couldn’t even be with Bai Xi in death.
The sound of the shattering jade brought the black-robed figure back to his senses. He looked at the now-deceased Bai Xi, a difficult-to-restrain anger rising in his eyes.
When a person dies, it’s like a lamp being extinguished. Everything enters the cycle of reincarnation; even fate disappears, let alone spiritual energy.
As a mighty demon, he was thwarted by a mere mortal girl! Enraged at being deceived, the black-robed figure lost his rationality. He roared, black energy enveloping Bai Xi’s body, and smashed towards Bai Shuo on the ground.
“You bastards! Daring to deceive this deity, this deity will obliterate your souls, turn you into ashes, and send you to purgatory forever!!”
Bai Shuo lay on the ground, her eyes blurred with blood, only able to see Bai Xi being thrown from afar by the black energy. She struggled with all her might to break free from the Qian brothers, kneeling on the ground and closing her eyes to receive Bai Xi’s body.
Even in death, she couldn’t let Bai Xi embark on her journey alone.
In this moment of despair and boundless darkness, a beam of light descended upon the earth, and everything in the world seemed to suddenly stand still.
The eerie ghostly aura disappeared, the raging and roaring ceased, and even the broken ribs in her body began to heal inch by inch amidst the flesh and blood.
It was like a miracle!
Bai Shuo opened her eyes, a soft light passing through them, gradually clearing her blood-blurred vision.
She saw Bai Xi’s body gently lowered in front of her by a stream of purple light.
She crawled over, grasping Bai Xi’s cold hand, and looked up, witnessing an unforgettable scene in her life.
Under the vast purple moonlight stood a slender figure.
The man’s black hair was as dark as ink, his ancient robe unfurling under the moonlight, his appearance captivating all who beheld him.
A purple throne materialized in the void, and he casually sat down before casting a casual glance at the black-robed figure below the imperial tomb.
The once arrogant black-robed figure had already fallen to the ground upon seeing the purple moon. His eyes widened in disbelief and dumbfoundedness upon meeting the newcomer’s gaze.
How could this be? How could he be present in the mortal world? Even the destruction of the god Yuanqi couldn’t make him appear. How could he appear in this insignificant imperial tomb in the mortal realm today?
“Soul obliteration? Eternal damnation in purgatory? Such words, besides me, who in the Three Realms dares to speak them?”
The man’s mouth curled slightly, and the sound of his black boots hitting the throne was clear and crisp. Though not heavy, it made the black-robed figure tremble with fear.
Hearing these words, Bai Shuo, looking at the man’s expression, finally understood what true arrogance and tyranny were in the world.
A purple whip descended from the sky, whether intentionally or unintentionally, capturing the black-robed figure and making him kneel in mid-air, just like Bai Xi did moments ago.
“Tian…Tian…” Before the black-robed figure could utter a word out of fear, the man’s expression turned cold as he looked at him.
“Are you worthy to address me by my name?”
The black-robed figure hurriedly kowtowed, “Lord God, spare me, Lord god; the little demon Nanhai Cangmu has seen the Lord God!”
Lord God? Bai Shuo was stunned, staring blankly at the figure under the purple moon. Was this truly what a god looked like?
The newcomer was Tianqi, who had broken through the void from the god realm to the ghost realm. He had originally intended to search for Yue Mi’s soul in the River of Life and Death in the Underworld, but he witnessed this scene at the entrance of the ghost realm.
With his temperament, he could ignore the life and death of all things in the Three Realms. If it weren’t for that extremely mournful call, he might not have stopped to watch the tragedy beneath the imperial tomb.
The Qian brothers cowered on the side, not daring to breathe a word. They had been coerced by the black-robed figure to capture young boys and girls for sacrifice. Little did they know that this usually arrogant and domineering black-robed deity turned out to be a festering sore!
However, they misunderstood.
The black-robed demon was actually a fierce beast of the Nine-headed Snake clan from the Southern Sea, named Cangmu. Even the ordinary immortals in the immortal realm were no match for it. If it weren’t for encountering the Ancient True God, who had just emerged, it wouldn’t have been so miserable.
Ten years ago, Cangmu caused chaos in the Southern Sea and was besieged by immortals from Daze Mountain. In a panic, it fled to the mortal realm. Below the imperial tomb was the entrance to the ghost realm. Only the aura of the ghost realm could conceal its demonic scent, preventing it from being found by the immortals of Daze Mountain. It had been hiding here for a decade. In order to heal its wounds, it drained the blood and flesh of the Qian brothers, infused them with demonic energy, and coerced them to bring spiritual beings for it to devour every month by tempting them with the promise of longevity.
For a full decade, it had been hiding here, and seeing its severe injuries heal, it could soon return to the Southern Sea to dominate and rule. However, unexpectedly, because of two mortal girls, it attracted the attention of the True God, Tianqi.
“Spare you? You, a little Nine-headed Snake demon, dare to cause chaos in the mortal world, slaughtering mortals. I spare your life, but who will answer for the endless souls locked in the book of life and death?”
Tianqi’s eyes were cold, and with a casual wave of his hand, the purple whip sent Cangmu flying into the air. The divine energy of the whip was vast. With a single lash, Cangmu howled in pain, spitting out blood, and snake horns appeared on its forehead.
Seeing Tianqi show no mercy, Cangmu roared in anger and reverted to its original form. The ten-foot-tall snake soared above the imperial tomb, emitting a deafening roar, and a foul stench filled the air.
No matter how it dodged or evaded, the purple whip tightly wrapped around its tail, constantly lashing at it. The nine-headed snake spat out black blood from its mouth, its body covered in blood, clearly at the end of its strength.
“Tianqi! I am of the demon race. If you don’t spare me, you are unworthy of being a demon god!” It spoke human words from its snake mouth.
Its long tail was tightly locked by the purple whip, leaving only its nine heads in the air, weakly howling curses.
Tianqi didn’t even bother to look at it. “As a member of the demon race, if you die, you die. You talk too much, embarrassing yourself.”
Finally, the nine-headed snake was silenced by this contemptuous remark. It roared towards the sky, its nine pairs of blood-red eyes emitting a dim light. Suddenly, one of its heads turned into a human-hand illusion, grabbing a sword and slashing towards its own tail.
“Roar!” A cry of pain echoed through the sky, black blood splattered from the air, and the purple whip instantly lost control over the nine-headed snake. In that instant, with only half of its body left, the nine-headed snake transformed into a massive head, opening its mouth and flying towards Bai Shuo.
It couldn’t move Tianqi in the slightest, but even in death, it wanted to drag someone down with it. Tianqi wanted to save this mortal, didn’t he? Then it would swallow this mortal and die together with it!
Bai Shuo didn’t have time to escape at all. She could only watch as the snake head approached closer and closer, the foul stench almost engulfing her. She hugged Bai Xi tightly, suddenly looking up towards Tianqi on the throne.
In those eyes, there was hope and longing, as well as a wholehearted trust that she herself didn’t even know existed.
With just that one glance, Tianqi saw her.
A streak of purple light tore through the sky, the power of a true god surging forth. The massive snake head didn’t even have time to plead for mercy before it turned into dust.
All was silent, and the purple moon bathed the earth in its glow.
When Tianqi came to his senses, he had already left the purple throne and was standing in front of Bai Shuo.
